Executive Director, ENRICH

Special Instructions to Applicants: 

All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities. 

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. 

In October 2025, Rice launched an ambitious strategic plan, Momentous. In that plan, Rice University committed to become the leading non-medical institution in health research and innovation. By breaking institutional barriers and forging strategic alliances, particularly within the Texas Medical Center, we envision creating impactful solutions that leverage Rice’s strengths at the nexus of medical care, positioning ourselves as a pivotal partner in global health advancements. Rice will advance basic and translational research initiatives and educational opportunities, by seeking research collaborations and educational partnerships within the TMC health-related ecosystem and at the TMC Helix Park. This position is vital to achieving this ambition. 

About the Office of ENRICH:
The Office of ENRICH at Rice University serves the Rice community as the liaison office between Rice University and the health-related institutions of the Texas Medical Center (TMC). The office, established in 2016, is responsible for advising the Provost and the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) on opportunities to strengthen research collaborations and educational partnerships between Rice and other members of the TMC. Over the last decade, ENRICH has helped establish MOUs with leading institutions in the TMC and has facilitated key partnerships.

Rice ENRICH works with faculty to identify and develop high-priority opportunities, as well as to address barriers to collaboration. In an effort to amplify the enormous creativity of Rice faculty in collaboration with partners in the TMC, ENRICH offers services and resources that support health-related research and spark and grow new connections.

Rice ENRICH also works with administrative staff to develop standardized processes for student interactions, internships, and research experiences in the TMC, aligning priorities and processes across institutions.

Position Summary:
Under the joint guidance of the Provost and the EVPR, the Executive Director of ENRICH develops and leads university health-related initiatives and partnerships in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in both research and education. As a result, this position has a dual reporting relationship, reporting to the EVPR on research-related matters and to the Provost on educational and leadership partnerships, including shared governance structures. The Executive Director serves as the formal liaison between Rice and collaborative partner institutions and advises both on various aspects of Rice–TMC engagement, including partner engagement at Helix Park.

Further, the Executive Director leads new-partner development; participates in the development of joint centers and institutes; directs cross-institutional initiatives; collects data and monitors collaboration activity; facilitates the drafting and renewal of formal agreements; and identifies, creates, and facilitates seed award and other fundraising programs. The Executive Director also leads and oversees institutional efforts to facilitate internal processes and align external processes related to student internships and research experiences at TMC institution campuses and labs.

Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate for the Executive Director of ENRICH is a strategic and collaborati